Gear



Dec. 12, 1939. E. WILDHABER GEAR Original Filed April 17, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 @mi wz'zczwi E.- WILDHABER GEAR Deg. 12, 1939.

Original Filed April 17, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet qgzvfesa Xvi/@422? I meg Dec. 1 2, 1939. E. WILDHABER GEAR Original Filed April 17, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Znncntor (5177655 a/z/c/fiaer Patented Dec. 12, 1939 I amazes;

2,183,285 g I GEAR Ernest. Wildhaber, Brighton, N. Y., assignor to Gleason Works, Roch of New York ester, N. Y., a corporation Original application April 17, 1937, Serial No.

-,137,532.' Divided and this application .lanuary 31, 1939, Serial Nolzsasso t 11 Claims. (Cl. 74' -45e.5)' "Thepresentinvention relates togears andtheir the ends or the face of the gear so that the manufacture and particularly to bevel gears and to tools for and methods of'manufacturing such gears. The new tools for and method of pro- -'5' ducing gears .are covered in my pending ,U. S;

application Ser. No. 137,532, filed April 17,;1937. The'pres'ent application isa division of application Ser. No. 137,532 and is confined to the new form of gear."

One" object of the invention is to provide a practical form of longitudinally curved tooth bevel gearing which may be used in differentials," in aeroplane drives, etc. where straight bevel gearing is 'now employed and where absence of 'end thrust is a primary consideration, but which, because of its curved teeth,xwill operate more quietly than straight bevel gearing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a form of longitudinallycurved tooth bevel 0 gearing for'the' purpose described which will operate without-appreciable.end'thrust but which will have the requisitestrength to carry the varying'loads to which theigearing may be subjected in use. I:

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a'form of longitudinally curved tooth bevel gearing which willoperate Without end thrust but which'may'be cut and ground upon existing spiral bevel gear cutting and grinding'machinery by processes similar to and having the speed of production characteristicof methods for cutting and grinding ordinary spiral bevel gears.

' Still another object of the invention is to pro vide an improved form of bevel gearing for the purpose, described which'the two members of a pair will mesh with less than full profile bear: ing and with less than full length tooth contact. Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from ,thespecificationand from the '40 recital of the appended claims. I i

' Heretofore straight bevel gears have been used exclusively in bevel differential'gearing, in bevel gear aeroplane drives and in other places where it is desirable to have abevel drive which will be substantially ,free from end thrust. J This eliminates the necessity fol-axial thrustbearings, minimizing the cost, aconsiderationin a differential, and minimizing the weight, a prime considera'tion in an aeroplane drive. It .is difficult, ""however, to make straight bevel gears so that they will run together quietly particularly at high speeds. At least one attempt has been made previously, therefore, to cut longitudinally curved tooth bevel'gears with teeth of approxi- 53 mately'zero spiralangle. at a point intermediate gears would run together with a minimum of end thrust and, at the same time, due to the lengthwise curvature of their teeth, operate quietly. This previous effort failed, however, be-

vfaces of a pair have a lengthwise mismatch and will have, therefore, a lengthwise localization of tooth bearing. Further, the profiles of the teeth of one or bothmembers of a pair are relieved on the .top and flanks of theteeth so that the gears in mesh will have less than full profile bearing. These features of construction make for added quietness. in operation and permit the gears to accommodate themselves readily to variations inloads or mountings. also'cut with teeth of tapering depth from one end to the other so that the tooth strength at the small end of the tooth is proportionateto that at the large end ofthetooth and the gears can; therefore, carry as heavy loads as ordinary straight toothed bevel gears. Preferably, too,

the larger member of a pair is cut with teeth of straight profile in a forming operation, thus faces of a pair of gears produced according to this invention;

Fig. i'is a diagrammatic view showing the tooth surface of one member of a pair of gears produced according to this invention and illustrating the localized tooth bearing of the gears when theyrun in mesh;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the-- preferred method of generating apinion accord-' ing to thisinvention;

Fig. 6 is .a diagrammatic view showing how the profile shape of the pinion tooth is by this method of generation;

Fig.,'l"is a diagrammatic view illustrating certain relationships between the members of "a modified The gears are pair of gears produced according to this invention; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the preferred method of cutting the gear or larger member of the pair according to this invention.

Reference will now be had to the drawings for a more detailed description of the invention. 30 and 3| (Figs. 1 and 2) denote the two members of a pair of bevel gears constructed according to one embodiment of this invention. The two gears have longitudinally curved teeth, 32 and 33, respectively, which are of zero spiral angle at approximately the center of the face of the gears. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, the line 36, which is radial of the cone center 38 of the gear is tangent to a median line 34 of a tooth 32 of the gear at a point approximately at the center of the tooth face of the gear. Likewise, the median line 35 of a pinion tooth 33 is tangent to a line 31 which is radial of the pinion apex 39, at a point approximately midwayof the face of the pinion.

The teeth of both the gear and pinion are curved on very large radii of curvature, the radii of curvature being in all cases more than twice the width of face W or W, respectively, of gear or pinion. The result is, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the gears have teeth which for their length of face approximate very closely straight teeth.

Both members of the pair may be generated. Preferably, however, only the pinion is generated and the gear or larger member of the pair is form-cut, that is non-generated. Preferably, it is provided with teeth whose opposite sides 40 and 42 are of straight profile and conical surfaces of revolution.

The teeth of both the gear and pinion are made to taper in depth from their large to their small ends, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 'l, and as will be referred to more particularly hereinafter.

To provide a suitable localization of lengthwise tooth-bearing, the mating tooth surfaces of the two members of the pair are curved along slightly different radii of curvature. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, which is an enlarged view showing a pinion tooth in mesh with two teeth of the gear and somewhat diagrammatic, the sides M of .the pinion teeth are of slightly larger radius of curvature than the mating sides 42 of the gear teeth and the sides 43 of the pinion teeth are of slightly smaller radius of curvature than the mating sides 48 of the gear teeth. This mismatch in lengthwise tooth curvature provides a localization of lengthwise tooth bearing, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. i which shows the side ill of a gear tooth. The tooth bearing or contact between this side of a tooth and the mating tooth surface of the pinion, as indicated by the shaded area 15, does not extend along the full length of the tooth but fades out toward the ends of the tooth. This localization of lengthwise tooth bearing permits the gears to accommodate themselves readily to the variations in load and in mountings which are met with in use.

Further than this, the teeth of the pinion are preferably not made fully conjugate to those of the gear, but are slightly relieved at the tops and bottoms of the tooth flanks to provide a suitable localization of profile bearing. This is clearly shown in Fig. 6 where one of the pinion teeth 33 is illustrated on a greatly enlarged scale. The dotted line 4'! denotes the profile of a pinion tooth which is fully conjugate to the teeth of the gear, while the full line 49 indicates the actual profile of a pinion tooth made according to the preferred embodiment of this invention It will be seen that the actual profile 459 departs from the theoretical profile 41 at the top and bottom of the tooth. This results in a localization of profile bearing, when the pinion runs in mesh with the mate gear, less than full profile bearing being obtained, as shown in Fig. 4. The bearing does not extend to the top or to the bottom of the teeth. This makes for quietness in operation and enhances the advantages inherent in the longitudinally curved tooth construction. In Fig. 6, the line 48 denotes the pitch line of the pinion tooth or a line approximately midway the height of the tooth.

Various methods may be employed for producing the gear or larger member of the pair according to this invention. If both members of the pair are generated, the pair may be produced according to any of the known processes of generating spiral bevel gears, a face-mill gear cutter of large diameter being employed. If the gear has formed tooth profile, it may be cut accord-- ing to any of the known processes for cutting Formate, that is, non-generated longitudinally curved tooth gears, a cutter of large diameter being simply employed to produce the requisite lengthwise tooth curvature. The pinion may then be generated conjugate to its mate or, as is preferred and as will be described more fully hereinafter, may be generated conjugate to a gear slightly different from its mate in order to obtain localization of profile bearing.

In cutting the teeth of either gear or pinion, it is desirable to cut the teeth so that the sides and bottoms of the tooth spaces will converge as closely as possible at the gear or pinion apex. This construction gives for any bevel gear a maximum of tooth strength at all points along the length of the teeth.-

In Fig. 8, a fragment of the gear 30 is shown. This view is taken along a root cone element of the gear and the apex 38 of the gear appears on the bottom of the tooth space and at a slight distance from the sides 45! and Q2 of the space. This distance is a measure of the departure of taper of the tooth space from natural taper, that is, from a taper in which the bottom 52 of the tooth space runs to the cone apex 38., In the gear shown, the straight sides 49 and 42 of a tooth space 01 the gear intersect, if extended, in a point 59 which does not lie in the tooth bottom but below said bottom. I

Natural taper in width of the tooth spaces, or any other taper may be obtained by slightly altering the root angle of the blank, as shown. Such an alteration is indicated for the pinio'ri 'in Fig. 7 by the dotted line 53 which indicates how the tooth depth of the pinion tooth spaces may be modified to obtain the desired taper. To obtain natural taper in width of the gear teeth, the direction of the cut at a point 54 midway of the face ofthe gear teeth should be such that the tangent to the line of convergence of the sides of the gear teeth, that is, the tangent at the point 53 will pass through the gear apex 38.

In Fig; 8, E9 denotes the axis of a single cycle face-mill gear cutter 6| whose cutting blades or teeth 82 have side-cutting edges 63 and M of equal pressure angle, that is, of equal inclination to the axis 60 of the cutter which is positioned so that the axis '62 is at right angles to a plane tangent to the root surface of the gear,

as-is customary in gear cutting practice. The I cutter is of largediameter to produce 'thejdesired lengthwisetooth shape" onth'e'gear teeth and on' account of its large diameter, as compared with, the facewidth;of the' "gear, would produ'ce a tooth of 'slightlengthwise curvature; that is, alfmos't' straight. Therefore, we" would ordinarily obtain hardlyany localization of lengthwise tooth bearing. 7 -i f To-obtain a localized lengthwise: tooth bearing of? any desired -length, however, a gear cutt'erlii having an axis 65 may be used. This axis intersects the normal 66 to the, inside cutter surfacein a poirit t1 and the, normal 6%) to thegouts-ide cutter surface at a point- 69.";inasmuch as the normal radius H-5'i of the inside cutter surface is smaller than the radius li.'ll3 of the cutter 6|, the cutter 'lfl will cut; away or relieve the ends of the convex tocthsurfaces 420i the gear, and 'sinc'ethe normallradi'us Tl5ti9 of the outside surface of the CutterfI-J'El is-large'r than the normal radius lfilii of :theoutside surface of the cutter 6!, the cutter 70 ;willalso relieve or cut away the tooth ends of the concave surfaces d0 of the gear. Thua-atboth surfaces nlay. be produced on the gear .which will have 'a desired localization of lengthwise tooth bearing'when run with the mating tooth surfaces-of the pinion.

The cutter 10 has a larger blade angle on the outside and a smaller blade angle on vthe inside, that is, the outside-cutting edges Et ofthis cutter have a greater inclination to the axis t5 of the cutter than have theinside' cutting edges 64. This is contrary to'usual practice" for cutting bevel gears since ordinarily a cutter having opposite side cutting edges of equal pressure angle" is employed. *No additional machine adjustments are required,,however, to use a cutter such as shown at "it to cut spiral bevelgears in a-"forniinggthat is non-generating operation. U

' It is preferred to use .th'ecutter with the differ-' ent blade pressure angles in cutting the gear rather than t'he.pinion. If a cutter" having un equal blade angles were used in a generating process an additicnalfcutter tilt or cutter'setting would have to be provided upon the gear generating machine. Hence, it is preferred to make the pinion cutter with opposite side cutting edges of equal pressure angle or inclination to the axis of the cutter.

' vion teeth are generated by rolling the pinion blank on the pitch surface of an actual or nominal crown gear. When the gear is form-cut,

' erably generated conjugate toa basic gear whose axis is inclinedat a slightly different angle-to the axis of. the pinion blank from the anglebe- 'tweenthe axes of the pinion and its mate gear when the pair are in mesh.

at H25. Its-axis is at E25. Th e cutter forcutting the pinion teeth is denoted at 1270. Its axis is at 128/ This cutter is positioned relative to the pinion blank so that it represents'a conical gear I30 whose axis I Sl'is inclined to the axis I26 of the pinion blank at an angle C whichis the pinion is pref- This method of generation is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5. The pinion blank to be cut isdenoted less than the angle D between the axis of the pinion and :the'axis Q32 of its mate gear when the pair are in mesh; The angle (1 which is the difference between th'e'itwoangles is ordinarily less than the dedendum angle of the pair. The

tooth surfaces of thei -pinion are generated by rotating the tool on its axis I28 while producing a relative rolling movement between the'pinion blank'an'd the tool as though the pinion'blank were rolling upon the gear ESE! represented bythe tool. When the pinion is generated in this way,'toot'h surfaces will be produced on the pinionwhich will-be relieved-on the tops and the bottoms of the tooth-profiles, as indicated in 15 Fig."6. 1- x i Where both members of the'p'air are generated, localization of profile-bearing can be obtained by generating the pinion conjugate'to a crown gear slightly different from the crown gear to which the mate gear. is generated conjugate. 1

Whileth'e-inve'ntion has been described in connection with different embodiments thereof, it

of still further modification and this application is intended :tofcover any'variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or custcmarypracticein the art to which the invention p'ertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set fortlri and as fall within the scope of the.

invention orthe'lirnit's of the appended claims.

. Having thus described my invention, whatI claim is: l. A""pair of tapered gearseach of which has teeth tapering indepth from end to end and side surfaces which'are curved'longitudinally oncircular .arcs whose radii are-more than twice' the face width of the gear, the teeth of each gear, having sucha longitudinal direction that I a line drawn radially of the'apex of the gear is,

tangent to amedian line of a tooth at a point between the tooth ends.

2. A pair of bevel gears, each of which has teeth whichtaper in depth from end to end andv side surfaces which are curved longitudinally on circular arcs whose radii are more than twice the face-width of the gear, the teeth of each gear having such a longitudinal direction that a line drawn radial of the apex of the gear is tangent to a median line of atooth at a point between the toothends, oneof said gears having side surfaces whichare surfaces of revolution and. the other gear having side surfaces which are generated conjugate'toa surface of revolution.

3. A pair of bevel. gears, each of which-has on circular arcs whose radii are more than twice the face-width of the'gear,the teeth of each gear having such a longitudinal direction that a line drawn radial of the apex of the gear is tangent to a median line of ;a tooth at a point between the tooth ends, one of said gears having conical side tooth surfaces and the other gear having side tooth surfaces which are generated conjugate to, conical surfaces. e

4. A pair of bevel gears, each of which has teeth which taper in depth from end to end and side surfaces which are curved longitudinally on circular arcs whoseradii are more than twice the face-width of the gear, "the teeth of each gear having-such a longitudinal direction that a line drawn radial ofthe apex of the gear is tangent will be understood that the inventionis capable 25 teethtwhich taper in depth from end to end and j side surfaces which are curvedlongitudinally to a median line of a tooth at a point between the tooth ends, one of said gears having the opposite sides of its tooth spaces formedas coaxial surfaces of revolution having different radii of curvature and the other of said gears having the opposite sides of its tooth spaces generated conjugate to coaxial surfaces of revolution and having difierent radii of curvature.

5. A pair of bevel gears, each of which has teeth which taper in depth from end to end and have such a longitudinaldirection that a line drawn radially of the apex of a gear is tangent to a median line of a tooth at a point between the tooth ends, one of said gears having the sides of its teeth relieved at the top and the bottom of the tooth profile so that its teeth have less than full profile contact with the tooth surfaces of the mate gear when run in mesh with the mate gear.

6. A pair of bevel gears, each of which has teeth tapering in depth from end to end and so curved longitudinally that a line drawn radially of the apex of a gear is tangent to a median line of a tooth at a point between the tooth ends, opposite side tooth surfaces of one gear having slight- 1y different radii of curvature from the mating tooth surfaces of the other gear, and one of said gears having the sides of its teeth relieved at the top and bottom of its tooth profiles so that its teeth have less than full profile contact with the tooth surfaces of the mate gear when the pair are run in mesh.

'7. A pair of bevel gears, each of which has teeth tapering in depth from end to end and so curved longitudinally that a line drawn radially of the apex of a gear is tangent to a median line of a tooth at a point between the tooth ends, one of said gears having side tooth surfaces which are surfaces of revolution and the other gear having side tooth surfaces which are generated conjugate to surfaces of revolution, the latter gear having the sides of its teeth relieved at the top and bottoms of the tooth profiles so that its teeth have less' than full profile contact with the tooth surfaces of the mate gear when the pair are run in mesh.

8. A pair of tapered gears having tooth spaces one of which has tooth sides which are longitudinally curved and coaxial surfaces of revolution and the other of which has tooth sides that are conjugate to surfaces of revolution, the profile of a concave side of a tooth space of the first gear being more inclined to the common axis of the sides of said tooth space than the profile of a convex side of said tooth space.

9. A tapered gear having tooth spaces whose sides are longitudinally curved and coaxial conical surfaces of revolution, the profile of the concave side of a tooth space being more inclined to the common axis of the sides of a tooth space than the profile of the convex side of the tooth space.

10. A pair of tapered gears, each of which has teeth tapering in depth from end to end and so curved longitudinally that a line drawn radially of the apex of a gear is tangent to the median line of a tooth at a point midway the length of the tooth, one of said gears having coaxial tooth surfaces, and the profile of the concave side of a tooth space of said gear being more inclined to the common axis of said tooth space than the profile of the convex side of said tooth space.

11. A pair of bevel gears, each of which has teeth tapering in depth from end to end and so curved longitudinally that a line drawn radially of the apex of a gear is tangent to a median line of a tooth at a point midway the length of the tooth, one of said gears having side tooth surfaces which are coaxial surfaces of revolution, and the other gear having side tooth surfaces which are generated conjugate to surfaces of revolution, the first gear having the profile of a longitudinally concave side tooth surface more inclined than the profile of a convex side tooth surface to the common axis of said tooth surfaces, and the latter gear having the sides of its teeth relieved at the tops and bottoms of the tooth profiles so that its teeth have less than full profile contact with the tooth surfaces of the first gear when the pair are in mesh.

' ERNEST WILDHABER. 

